Pre-election violence increases in Afghanistan

A number of violent attacks by militia have injured and killed across Afghanistan ahead of Thursday's presidential and provincial elections.

Militia including the Taliban have promised to disrupt Thursday's poll and have increased the frequency of their attacks.

In Kabul, seven people were killed and more than 50 injured when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of Western troops. Reports indicate that some of the troops from the Nato-led force were among the injured and killed. The UN also said that two of it's employees were killed in the attack.

There have also been other violent incidents across the country including a rocket attack on the presidential compound in Kabul, no injuries were reported. In the East of the country two US soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb and two civilians along with three Afghan soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in the Southern Afghan province of Uruzgan. Whilst, in Jowzjan province, in the normally peaceful North, one election candidate was shot dead and three poll workers were killed when their car hit a bomb.

There are fears that the increased number of violent attacks will result in a lower turnout in Thursday's poll and there is some evidence that there has been corruption in the electoral process.